I am LIVID!

Remember the Patho instuctor with the bad reputation of being a major witch? Well, we just discovered where it came from. Now I bent over backward to give this woman a honest chance. And lord knows I've had some really nasty wretched people as instructors before........But this woman takes the cake.

I was mildly POed that she had scheduled an exam for our first day of class in Jan after xmas break. Now mind you this is for a class we've not even actually had yet. If that's not bad enough, it's also pharmacology the hardest class to the whole program.

She had told us during our final exam the assignment for the pharm would be posted the next day. We've been checking every day since looking for this darn assignment so we could get started on it. We've been on break since about the 5th of Dec. She just posted the chapters yesterday!!

Guess how many chapters? I nearly fell out of my chair. 11 chapters!!!! Yep. We have to cover 11 chapters on our OWN and be ready to pass an exam on it the very first day of class. And we have 2 wks to do it in....with all the frimping holidays coming up!

One of the students was brave enough to write the instructor a very tactful but thought out email. She mention how we expected to do the work as we were warned at finals, but wasn't 11 chapters a bit excessive to be doing all on our own without having even had one class? She also explained there are a couple of students who had planned to visit family out of state for the holidays. There are a couple of students who won't even be able to buy books until right before school starts up because they're not using FASFA and budgets are so tight. Not to mention that she waited 2 wks before posting the darn chapters so we could get started on it before the holidays came around.

Instructor responded that she'd waited to post so we would have those 2 wks to spend with our families. what the heck?? The holidays are at the end of the month, not the beginning!! *snarl* And that if we took 2 hrs a day for the next 2 wks we should have no problem getting thru all the material. Ok, evidently she forgets she's going to give us an EXAM....this is not just a reading assignment. We have to know 11 chapters worth of material!

Then this woman had the gall to say she had given up her time on vacation to put the material up for us. That was one whopping lie. She told us even before the final that she had all the files ready to post on the computer! She's been using the same material/lesson plans for several years.

It has been a long time since I truly wanted to physically hurt someone. I can't sleep tonight because I'm so frimping livid.

We could have working on this for 2 wks already....time enough to get notes done ect to study in between all the holiday stuff the last 2 wks. But thanks to her.......we've got to cram all this in right in the middle of the holidays.

Witch with a capitol B is much too kind of a title for this woman. This was totally unnecessary.

I pity the student who was brave enough to confront her via email. Her life for the next 2 quarters is not going to be pleasant.

But right after graduation I'm marching into the Director of Nursing's office and giving her an ear full. Bad enough that we aren't really getting a break....but to pull this on top of it is just too d*mn much!

Now gone is baking cookies with the grands tomorrow, and all the other activities of xmas. My nose will be buried in a book while I'm frantically writing note cards and trying to learn this stuff in time for that exam.

I had a professor somewhat similar. When the required "evaluation sheet" came around at the end of the quarter, I put the following on it:

"Since Dr. P only showed up for class 3 times during the 10 week quarter (including exam week) it is impossible for me to evaluate his teaching style. I would like to give his TA all the credit (and a pay raise if possible) because she was the one actually doing the work in the class."

There were only eleven of us in the class, and we all had talked beforehand, and we all filled out the evaluation the exact same way. But, of course, because Dr. P was tenured, it didn't do squat.

Omg, Lisa! That just blows - I'm so sorry!! I have an online class coming up in January and the instructor hasn't posted a thing yet. I'm nervous that it may be too fast paced for me. Fingers crossed you are able to do the work without too much stress and pass her stupid test. argh

That stinks!!! What a horrid person!!! Have you contacted the Dean or department head about things like this? They defy common sense. What is hte point of a test over 11 chapters the first day?

If you can teach yourself the first 11 chapters, why can't you teach yourself the rest and save the cost of her salary. I would actually suggest that her salary could be cut because she expects you to teach the material to yourself without even one class period.

Lisa, that's HORRIBLE! I remember when my daughter was in nursing school, the pharmacology was the very worst, most difficult part - they studied and studied. She actually stayed at the home of another student for a week while they studied together and drilled it into their heads! They certainly weren't expected to learn it on their own in a short period of time! What is this woman thinking! If you could do that, why would you need her? What would happen if a group of you got together and went to the dean to complain?

I wouldn't wait that long either. Take a copy of that other student's email, a copy of the reply, the other student and the two of you (as well as anyone else who wants to go) and march right into the Dean's office or department head....SOMEONE and present the assignment, the date it was posted, the email/reply...everything. This is totally unreasonable.

The instructor is tenure. This is not the first time she's done this, which we found out from her other pharm class that we took our final exam with. And students have banned together and complained before, it got them nowhere. That is the reason behind her nasty reputation. And you know it's bad when the other instructors feel bad for you and say so.

If I can get the students together as a whole I'll go together to the dean. A lone student or a small group doesn't stand a chance. And it most likely won't do any good. I'd rather go to the director of nursing because perhaps at least she can force the instructor to change how she does the material. Maybe. I'm not sure if even she can help with someone who is tenure.

Big problem is that anyone who complains is going to have H*ll on earth in her classes from here on out. And we have her again next quarter at least.

I just keep thinking of the others in the class with children still at home who are just now out for their xmas break.........I really feel for them.

I had to lol at the way my post got censored. lol

Now to call Darrin and Aubrey and tell them Nana can't come bake cookies today.

I think getting as many people as you can from the class to band together and visit the dean and whoever else is a good idea. Tenure is one thing but it doesn't give an instructor the right to be unreasonable and tenured professors can still be fired if they are incompetent and expecting you to master 11 chapters on your own before the class even starts sounds pretty incompetent to me. Raise he!!.

In my experience, a tenured instructor has to just about commit murder, or do something so very flagrant and extraordinarily awful, to get fired. Incompetency is very difficult to prove because it is subjective; when it is, it has to be demonstrated over a long period of time.

I know of one instructor that would be out on her keyster if I had my way. I wrote a three page letter of this woman's outrageous conduct and she's still teaching. I know that the principal of the HS where she works would LOVE to get rid of her, but his hands are tied by her contract and tenure. So, I just blab my big mouth about her at every opportunity. Son goes to that school next year and there is no way I would ever allow him to be in her classroom.

Don't get me wrong, tenure CAN be a good thing. Especially, when there are good instructors having to deal with capricious administrators and people that would make unfounded and scurrilous accusations against them over something like a grade that they do not agree with.

So......what to do?

Do get as many of your fellow students and classmates together to protest what this woman has done. Stick to facts and try to keep your anger (and all emotion) out of it. State what she done and lay out the facts logically (bullet them if necessary). Have everyone sign the letter, or everyone sent a copy and sign it, or their own version stating the same basic facts. You all can also email, but do not do that in lieu of sending a hard copy, do both or just a letter. The letters will have to go into her personnel file (they better, anyway).

Most likely nothing will happen; be prepared for this. On the other hand, it may be another straw in the camel's back. The miracle would be if it is the FINAL straw.

I'm sorry about this. It can be so difficult to deal with unreasonable instructors. been there done that.

Instructor responded that she'd waited to post so we would have those 2 wks to spend with our families. what the heck?? The holidays are at the end of the month, not the beginning!! *snarl*

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Does the instructor actually celebrate Christmas? Hanakkah arrives early in the month of December....and not at the end.

I'm not excusing the instructor's outrageous expectations--BUT, when I have worked for folks that do not celebrate Christmas....I've found that they often do not understand HOW MUCH WORK needs to be done for the holiday celebration and WHEN it has to be crammed in....